Paige Patterson named to Cruz advisory council – Baptist News Global

According to SNAP. this guy is a dick, "despite Patterson’s calling the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 'just as reprehensible as sex criminals',,,'Patterson made a hurtful, mean-spirited and Trump-like effort to bully suffering victims into staying silent.   To equate child molesters to child sex abuse victims may be most vicious comparison possible.'

A Southern Baptist Convention seminary president has been named to a Religious Liberty Advisory Council created by Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.

Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, is part of a 19-member group announced Feb. 29 to guide policies to reverse what the Cruz campaign termed “unprecedented attacks on freedom both at home and abroad.”

“Religious liberty is the first freedom guaranteed to Americans under the Constitution, and ensuring the protection of that right has been a priority my entire adult life,” Cruz said in a campaign press release.

“Increasingly, renegade government officials seek to coerce people of faith either to act in a manner that violates their faith or forfeit their career. When I am elected president that will change. It is time for our liberties to be respected in Washington. The right to religious liberty built America, and denying that right is both un-American and morally wrong.”

Paige Patterson named to Cruz advisory council – Baptist News Global

January 24-25, 2016::End of the day round-up

Peter Isely is a founding member and longtime Midwest Director of SNAP, The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the world’s oldest organization of survivors of childhood rape and sexual assault by clergy, with over 18,000 survivors in hundreds of chapters worldwide. Peter joins us in the studio for a two hour discussion on what SNAP has been doing to help bring justice to the survivors of sexual abuse.

 
A listener suggested podcast to check out The History in the Bible Podcast:

In the first series, I will cover the history and archaeology of the Old Testament (Tanakh); from the Patriarchs and the origins of the Hebrews; then the Exodus, and the conquest of Canaan; through David and Solomon, to the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah and their prophets. I will discuss the Babylonian exile, the return, and the subsequent history of the Jews from the Persian period through the Hasmonean kingdom to conclude with Judea as a Roman province.

I will show how scholars think that the various threads of the books we now know as the Bible came together, and what the latest archaeological discoveries and controversies can tell us about this long history. I will also cover the vast literature that was produced after the Babylonian Exile, sometimes called the pseudepigrahical works. None of these works made it into either the Old or New Testaments but they influenced both of the daughter religions of the ancient Israelite faith: rabinnical Judaism, and Christianity.

In the second series, I will discuss the development of the New Testament, and how it evolved amongst the many strands of Christianity over five centuries.

Nigeria: Largest Statue of Jesus Unveiled in Front of Hundreds of Onlookers

The largest statue of Jesus in Africa was unveiled on Friday in the country of Nigeria, with hundreds of spectators present.

According to Christian Today, the statue is nearly 30 feet tall and weighs 40 tons. It has been named “Jesus de Greatest.”

It was commissioned by a local businessman named Obinna Onunoha who had previously funded the building of St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Abajah, Nigeria. The statue was erected on the grounds of St. Aloysius.

Christian Today claims secularism means banning religion

The communist dictator Enver Hoxha (that’s an oxymoron by the way) used his power, much like Joseph Stalin, to suppress religion in an attempt to silence anything he believed could be loved more than him, anything that had the ability to topple his power. That is not secularism — it is fascism.

 Listeners Uncover Details About Mysterious Muse Behind 'The Brothers Nazaroff'

As a result of Jon Kalish's piece last Saturday on the obscure Yiddish musician known as Prince Nazaroff, a relative and a genealogist have stepped forward to provide more details about the man.

Original posting https://www.facebook.com/sanespirit/posts/791993004245857

A dentist is being sued for harassing staff by constantly playing Christian music

Initially considered this a possible faux persecution incident,,,

Her lawyer, Keith Jablonski, told The Washington Post this week his client is “being attacked in this lawsuit for her Christian beliefs, based solely on her desire to play religious music and radio stations in the dental office of the business that she owns.”

“We believe that when the facts, and not baseless allegations, are presented to a jury, we will establish that this group of former disgruntled employees are simply looking to profit off of their own prejudices towards Dr. Marshall and her Christian faith,” he said. “Dr. Marshall flatly denies engaging in any discriminatory employment practices.”

What I failed to recognize,,, 

Marshall purchased the dental practice in 2008 but her religious practices were only incorporated at the office as she became part of a local ministry run by Craig Stasio in 2013.

Stasio, who owns the Agape Massage Therapy & Chiropractic in addition to running his ministry, is also included in the lawsuit since Marshall hired Stasio to restructure her dental office in 2015.

But then there is this,,,

Meanwhile, Stasio’s profile in his Michigan community has become the subject of media attention.

A local news report in November suggested that Stasio’s ministry is cult-like in that members refer to Stasio as “the prophet” and frequently cut ties with family and friends once they come under his influence.

Stasio’s religious group is composed primarily of “young, attractive women,” many of whom live in communal housing provided by Stasio, according to Fox Detroit.

Not so simple anymore,

Priest accused of sexual abuse worked in Kirksville - News - Kirksville Daily Express - Kirksville, MO - Kirksville, MO

Clohessy, who now lives in St. Louis, is the national director of SNAP — the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

A priest accused of sexually abusing a Moberly child in the 1960s and 1970s later worked at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Kirksville before abuse allegations led to the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City placing him on leave.

According to an Associated Press report, David Clohessy received a $40,000 check from the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City late last week. The check came with a stipulation that Clohessy would not take further legal action against the diocese.

Clohessy had alleged he was sexually abused by Rev. John Whiteley at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Moberly, Mo. According to bishopaccountability.org, Whiteley worked at St. Pius X in 1969 and 1970.

Clohessy had first sued the diocese in 1991, but that suit was dismissed in 1993 because the statute of limitations had expired. The diocese placed Whiteley on leave in 1991 after sexual abuse allegations surfaced and he has not since served as a priest in the diocese.

Representatives from the diocese met with Clohessy earlier this year after he had contacted the diocese again regarding Whiteley and requested $200,000 for therapy and medical expenses. In a statement, the diocese stated a bishop wrote to Clohessy after the meeting to apologize for the abuse he reported and the diocese later decided to provide “monetary assistance” “to help (Clohessy) with his needs for healing.”

The Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City verified Tuesday that Whiteley was a priest at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Kirksville from 1970 through 1975.

Priest accused of sexual abuse worked in Kirksville - News - Kirksville Daily Express - Kirksville, MO - Kirksville, MO

See also::

Clohessy, JC Diocese settle priest abuse case

MO-- Diocese pays settlement re Naples predator priest

UPDATED::Convicted priest wants to buy St. Paul chancery, aid sex abuse victims | Minnesota Public Radio News

UPDATE::  An interesting take on the situation from Jennifer Haselberger, a 'canon lawyer who served as the Chancellor for Canonical Affairs in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis until April of 2013, when she resigned in protest of the Archdiocese's handling of sexual misconduct by clergy."

By allowing Gustafson (and others) to remain a priest, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis both symbolically and legally accepted ongoing responsibility for him and for his actions. As such, Tuesday's disclosure that Gustafson has formed a non-profit with the goal of 'helping' victims of sexual abuse by clergy demonstrates that once again the Archdiocese has failed to honor its commitments. As a priest, Gustafson is prohibited from raising funds without the permission of his ordinary (canon 1265, 1), he is not to speak on the radio or on TV on matters pertaining to Catholic faith or morals without the permission of his ordinary (canon 831,2), and most importantly there is no way that a man who is being supervised as part of the Archdiocese's 'state-of-the-art monitoring program' should have had the opportunity to interact with victims of sexual abuse.

The Archdiocese made a decision in 2002, 2005, and again in 2008 that it would accept ongoing responsibility for Gustafson. Therefore, it is the Archdiocese's responsibility to see that his actions and conduct are circumscribed to the extent required by his current status in the Catholic Church. Clearly, they have not done this. It is time for them to begin.

This is the same jack-wad who was able to collect disabilty for being a pedophile, "In July 2006, Gustafson was declared “disabled” based on his pedophilia, the church said. This allowed him to collect disability checks on top of his earnings as a leadership consultant."

The Rev. Gilbert Gustafson, a priest convicted of child sex abuse, is behind a new effort to raise money to buy the headquarters of the Twin Cities archdiocese and turn it into a healing center for abuse survivors.

The website for the nonprofit Gilead Project, which seeks to raise money online, does not mention the priest's criminal conviction or acknowledge any abuse allegations against Gustafson. It also does not indicate that he is a priest.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis wants to sell the nearly 60,000 square-foot chancery property across the street from the Cathedral of St. Paul to pay creditors in bankruptcy. The archdiocese's realtor has listed the price as "negotiable."
,,,
The pair are basing the plan on a model of restorative justice but they admit there's nothing like this out there where priests who've abused kids would be inside a building with people who've been abused.

David Clohessy, who heads the national Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, says he has never heard of anything like it, either.

"I think it's the height of arrogance for a child molesting cleric to say, 'I sexually assaulted kids but I can help sexually assaulted people heal from this,'" he said.

Convicted priest wants to buy St. Paul chancery, aid sex abuse victims | Minnesota Public Radio News

Priest Sues Accuser After Sex Abuse Charges Dropped « CBS St. Louis

It was bound to happen at some point,,,

A St. Louis priest who was accused of sexually abusing a boy in a Catholic school bathroom before the charges were dropped earlier this month is suing the alleged victim’s parents, police and a victim’s rights group.

Barbara Dorris of The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) tells KMOX that she believes the suit is intended to send a message.

“Our fear is that this is a way to intimidate victims, witnesses and whistle-blowers…into silence,” says Dorris. “If you tell the truth, we will sue you and I think it’s intended to silence people.”

The Rev. Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, 32, filed suit Thursday in U.S. District Court, seeking unspecified damages. The suit claims he was unfairly targeted and his reputation was damaged.

It names the boy’s parents by their initials, as well two police officers, the city of St. Louis, SNAP and SNAP leaders David Clohessy and Barbara Dorris.

Although,

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce dismissed two felony abuse charges on June 16, saying in a statement that the prosecution was “unable to proceed at this time,” but that her office “remains hopeful that charges will be refiled in the future.”

Priest Sues Accuser After Sex Abuse Charges Dropped « CBS St. Louis

ADDENDUM::PA- Altoona priest is arrested; SNAP responds - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests responds to the arrest of Rev. Joseph Maurizio Jr.:

A week ago, we asked Bartchak to write his Central American colleagues and urge them to aggressively reach out to others who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes or misconduct by a priest who has just been put on leave because federal agents raided his church and home. And we said that Bartchak should use his own parish bulletins, church websites and pulpit announcements to persuade his flock to share what they know or suspect about this priest with law enforcement.

We still stand by these requests and are disappointed that he has not responded to them. We also don't believe the Altoona-Johnston church officials who claims he and his colleagues knew nothing about Fr. Joseph Maurizio alleged “charity” work in Central and South America.

Fr. Maurizio says he has “traveled to 100 countries and has worked with orphanages in El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Haiti, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Peru,” according to Tribune Review. That's very worrisome to us.

We also noted a week ago that “Bartchak will no doubt be tempted to do nothing. That's wrong. He has a civic and moral duty to help police investigate and perhaps help prosecutors pursue Fr. Maurizio. He should not passively sit back and evade responsibility. Fr. Maurizio was likely recruited, educated, ordained, trained and transferred by Altoona-Johnstown Catholic officials. They can't wash their hands of him now.”

PA- Altoona priest is arrested; SNAP responds - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

MI- Church officials oust deacon about abuse - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

A support group for clergy sex abuse victims has written again to a Michigan archbishop in response to his letter about a registered sex offender who had been serving as a subdeacon. They want him to help them make sure the wider community knows about the man’s record and the possible danger that he poses and they also want to know why abuse reports were not immediately reported to law enforcement.

Members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, sent a letter earlier today to Archbishop Nathaniel Popp (517-522-4800), the leader of the Romanian Episcopate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). They thanked him for responding to their letter asking if Robert A. Mitchell was still serving as a subdeacon. The group was relieved to know that he had been removed and that steps were taken to ensure that no other convicted child molester will be given a leadership role in OCA.

However they express concern that the archbishop has not used every avenue available to warn the community about this dangerous predator. The group reported receiving a disturbing email from Father Moses Berry stating that officials in Michigan kept secret the reason Mitchell was no longer active in the Church.

MI- Church officials oust deacon about abuse - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests